Thread: plowing with full size blazer?

am considering purchase of older full size blazer to do some lawn accounts that dont require lots of equipment.Hoping blazer will do better on gas than 3/4 or 1 ton and,quite frankly i would like to drive something other than a full size pickup for a change.Maybe even pop the top on a k5. My question is this;assuming i beef the front springs and have enough motor, why cant i plow snow with this vehicle. I have lots of residential plow accounts that a shorter wheelbase vehicle would do well in. Is there some reason i dont see many people using these as plow vehicles?<br>Any experience or comments appreciated.

I don't plow, and I've gone through a few 10 bolt axle shafts and a TH700r-4 transmission, but I suppose that if you're carefull/gentle, it could work. Maybe if you got an older one in good shape with a TH 350, and 12 bolt, dana 44 combo rear and front end respectively, it would be a little sturdier. I'd say heck, go for it though (I kinda like fixing things too)

No need to do anything, just hang a plow on the Blazer and go to work. Drivetrain is K1500 anyhow, so what's to hurt? Might want to go Sno-Way plow to keep the weight down but that appiles to the 1/2 ton pickups as well. If you go Sno-Way you can hang an 8' on there. I hang 8' Sno-Way on S-10s, you oughta be able to do it on a Blazer.<br><p><font size="1">Edited by: Alan

hello let me venture guess why not many blazers-bronco type vehicles plow salt storage and spreader and equipment is bad and the truck cant easily be converted to a ft landscape truck in the summer...other than that I would think they are fine 2 successful cos around here use a suburban

Miketech has a fullsize blazer with a 7.5' fisher plow ( very heavy). I helped him put on the fisher plow mate on the frame. He told me his truck gets something like 16 mpg highway (i think). Make sure if you get a truck to plow w/, get an auto. A fullsize blazer could take an 8' plow. a lot of guys around here plow with 4x4's so i don't see anything wrong with it. also, another guy has a bronco w/ a fisherplow, and tore the back seat out, and made it a bronco pickup. it's really cool.<p>Bryan<p>----------<br>&lt;a href=&quot;http://content.communities.msn.com/BryansEquipmentPicts&quot;&gt;Bryan's Equipment Pictures&lt;/a&gt;<br>&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.snowplow.web.com&quot;&gt;The Snowplow Homepage&lt;/a&gt;

I've been using a 1976 K5 Blazer with 350 Auto. 7 1/2 plow for the last couple years, works fine , plenty of power. And i sure don't baby it at all. I am getting ready to sell it though because it is just sitting there the rest of the year.

Go for it. It should push fine. As the others here pointed out, it shouldn't have any trouble. The reason you don't see many, is because in the summer, the truck is virtually "useless' for landscaping. You can't load mulch into it, load clippings, put mowers in the back, and it doesn't handle a loaded enclosed trailer as well as a 3/4 ton, or 1 ton, with their larger brake system, or their higher tongue weight capability.

For doing residential, a Blazer is a dream come true! The only thing that could suck, is if you want to carry a snow blower in the back, and use a tailgate salter. Yes, you could easily mount a salter on a receiver hitch mount, but then you wouldn't be able to open your tailgate, or carry and load bags of salt easily. I see plenty around here with no salter, and the back window down, with the snow blower handles sticking out.

And finally, the axle gear ratio has much to do with how well it will push, and how great the gas mileage is. Additionally, I'd stay away from 81 & up models with the TH 700 R4 trans. If you want to use this as a work truck, you don't need Overdrive.
A truck with a 4.11:1 axle ratio will have plenty of pushing power, but the RPM's will be high at 55 MPH.
By the same token, a truck with 2.72:1 gears will not have as much power plowing, but will get great mileage, and have much lower RPM's at 55 MPH.

I have two full size blazers that I use for tight apartment lots both have boss plows. I have a 7'2"on a 93 which i think is alighter truck than the 86 I have that has a 8'2". This is and old military blazer that had a diesel in it and I converted it to gas, so I think the springs in the front might be a little heavier butI have very little trouble with either.